Lake Moomaw
June 26 - 27, 2004
Our first backpacking trip with NeatoGirl. To be safe we kept it to an overnighter. Destination - George Washington National Forest, Greenwood point campground, Lake Moomaw, VA. It is a primitive campground right on the lake, accessible only by boat or a 3.3 mile foot trail over moderate terrain.
We arrived at the lake at 11am saturday morning, and spent some time at the beach facilities. We hoped this would take some energy out of NeatoGirl, making her less likely to squirm in the carrier. After lunch we loaded up and set out for the campsite.
My pack was 42lbs, including NeatoGirl and her trusty companion, Po. I was surprised at how much actually fit in the bottom of the carrier (a Madden Rumba). It was pretty comfortable, but I still wouldn't want to carry much more than 45lbs. NeatoWoman's pack, loaded up with food and diaper supplies, weighed in at around 28lbs.
Our first overnighter since having the baby, started out slowly. It was uphill for the first half, and we had to reacquaint and readjust our gear. NeatoGirl fell asleep soon after we got a steady pace going, and stayed asleep for almost an hour (I guess that is also a sign of a good child carrier). We took a break when she woke up around the 2 mile mark to let her run around. Our breaks usually include naps for mommy and daddy, but this time we had a rambunctious 20 month old jumping all over us, so we alternated resting and enjoying a view overlooking the lake, with chasing NeatoGirl. The main concern were the bunches of wild mushrooms lining the trail. We pointed at them and said "yuck! phthhh!", which seemed to be enough to deter her for the time being.
She got so accustomed to the carrier that she didn't need any prodding to get her back in, as long as she got to put Po in first. The last half of the trip went very well as the terrain leveled off and then slowly descended to the campsite. She babbled the last half of the trip away, and didn't even pull my hair.
At camp she picked up steam and ran around the tent, into the water, and all over a resting NeatoMommy. There were only two other campsites occupied, both had come by boat. We ate dinner, chatted with the other two parties, who were all very insistent on sharing some of their treats with us, especially after we told them we hiked in. It was very pleasant being by the lake, but soon we discovered some big drawbacks to camping at a site accessible by motorboat. One couple who had been there for almost a week, had brought the kitchen with the kitchen sink, along with a chainsaw for cutting up firewood. They fired it up soon after we sat down to eat. After that quieted down, a group of jetskiers showed up. An entire 2630 acre lake at their disposal and they decide they absolutely MUST perform their testosterone display right in front of the campsite. Let me tell you we were REALLY impressed. So impressed that I decided to buy the biggest, fastest, loudest jetski as soon as I got home (along with a years supply of steriods *grunt* and viagra *grunt, grunt*) - NOT! They left after an hour or so, and things became peaceful once again.
Besides that everything else went well. We decided to set up my homemade bugnet without the tarp, to enjoy the clear night. It was great to be able to sleep out in full view of everything, and still be protected from bugs. The only miscalculation of the entire trip was that it got colder than expected that night (low 50s). We each had a small down throw blanket and NeatoGirl had two fleece blankets. I had to share my down blanket with NeatoGirl, and NeatoMommy resorted to using her space blanket. We threw one of mommy's extra t-shirts over NeatoGirl as an extra measure.
We also have to thank a guy named Steve, one of the other pair of campers, who gave us two large and tender, mustard and asian-marinated pork chops. They had to get rid of them since it was their last day there (one bonus to having motor boat access). We gladly accepted them, ate what we could and what we couldn't finish was saved and fried up for breakfast the next morning. Not that our dinner was unsatisfying, but it certainly will never compare to those two gourmet, succulent pork chops.
The trip back the next morning was easier than the hike in, since the climb out
was more gradual. Anna napped for a portion, but we had to slow down a
little during that time to keep her head from bouncing all around. A
successful mission - yay!
